Shave your head!
Shave your head
Okay folks, you know you want to do it... so come on do it. I will help
you with your decision and the process:
Advantages
- It keeps your head clean: no dandruff
- Don't waste your time with shampoo
- Don't have to worry about dryer, roller and/or salon visits
- Keeps your head cool in summer
- If you go bald, no one (who need not know) will not know
- Permits travelling light - no hair supplies to pack or worry to
get at the other end
- If you so desire, you get to wear various hats, caps and other
head gears
- You can do it alone... you do not need to go to the barber after
the first time.
Disadvantages
- In winter, you would be loosing a body head through the exposed
skull
- Caps, hats can be nuisance sometime
- Okay, you save time with shampoo, dryer, and salon visits, but you
have to take time to shave your head
- Razors, shaving cream and after shaves can be expensive
Okay, now that you have made your decision, and hopefully, it was to get
that new look, let me give you some tips.
First thing that you need to know is that having head is very different
from shaving your face (or any other bodily hair). It is not hard, just
a matter of getting used to. Before you venture into the act, you may
need to go to the local drug store to get the following items:
- Good lubricant shaving gel - I have discovered that gel works
better than the foam or cream.
- Good sharp razor - Mach3 works real well
- Shaving morror, or any small mirror that you can hold
- If you do not own a towel, get a towel big enough to wrap around
your head
- After Shave lotion of choice
Process
Okay, as I mentioned under the advantaged section, it is best that the
first time you get your head shaved by a barber. Before showing up to
your regular barber, call ahead and ask if they shave heads... not all
barbers do, for legal and sanitary reasons. The following will work
thereafter.
- First and foremost, wet your hair with warm water. This is very
important if you intend to get a smooth close shave without afterburn
and irritation.
- Wet the towel that you have and wrap it around your head... this
will help the base of hair to be throughly wet and soften the base of
your hair.
- Apply generous amounts of shaving gel and work it deeply - so that
you can feel the lubricant next to your scalp.
- Use sharp wet blade and shave. Now here comes the personal
preference: Some people prefer to go With the grain... in that case,
you want to start from the top (centre) of the head. I, on the other hand,
prefer to shave against the grain of the hair (to get a closer and
smoother shave) and in the latter case, start at the forehead and go
backward... till the top of the head.
- Clean the razor after every time you lift off the surface.
- Repeat the last two steps until the front side of the head is all
shaved off. If there are isolated spots left, do not worry, they will
be taken care off as in later steps.
- Now hold the shaving mirror in your left hand (if you are right
handed) at an angle bind your back so that you can clearly see the
reflection in the mirror in front of you. This will avoid knicks and
cuts and make for a cleaner job.
- Very carefully, using the hand with razor in it, using slow
deliberate movement, shave either with or against the grain. (I prefer
against the grain, so I start at the base of the neck and go upward
toward the top of the head).
- As always, clean the razor after every stroke.
- Repeat last two steps until the back is done
- At this point you are almost done - but not quite
- Throughly wash off your head - in this process you will discover
the spots that you missed and/or presence of course hair that are not
quite visible but still there nonetheless.
- Apply the shaving gel again, with specific emphasis to the spots
that you discovered in the last step and using the shaving technique
described above, clean up the spots.
- Voila! You are Done!
A final note: If you intent to shave your own head, never let it grow
over 1/4 inch in length. If you neglect this precaution, you will
discover that it is hard to accomplish the objective (clean close smooth
shave) and the technique described above does not work very well.
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Last modified: 28th September, '03